What’s in a Name?

       Here is my rant about growing up with a last name that starts with an A.  I was always first for the hated things while fun things remained first come first serve, so I lost out there too.  First on the bus meant sitting right behind the bus driver which meant you couldn’t get away with anything, and everyone would laugh at you.  First in the class list meant you sat in front right by the teacher- yuck.  First for vaccines, for oral assignments, spelling bees, whatever!  I got so tired of being first that I decided I would never marry unless the man had a name in the middle or end of the alphabet.  (Pathetic, eh?)

Goal accomplished.

       Reading up on names, I learned some interesting ideas others state.  Your name defines you.  It is a personal identity, therefore giving and receiving a name is an event of major importance.  The bestowal of name and identity is a kind of symbolic contract between the society and the individual, and the individual receiving the name accepts membership in the society and agrees to follow its rules and customs.  Names are also chosen to express the nature and function of a person.  Consider God’s words to His precious people:

…Yet You, O Jehovah, are in our midst, and we are called by Your name. Do not leave us! Jr. 14:9

But now so says Jehovah who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel; Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. Is. 43:1

bring My sons from far and My daughters from the ends of the earth; everyone who is called by My name; for I have created him for My glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him. v.46,47

But he who enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep… the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. Jh. 10:2,3

He who overcomes will inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son. Rv. 21:7

       God knows our names, but calls us His sons.  He does that because when we repent and follow Him, He accepts us into His family, becomes our Father and we become His sons.  This is similar to the way my husband and I became parents.  We adopted our children, gave them a new name- our name.  Now they are ours and have all the rights and privileges of being our children.  They are our inheritors.  They carry our name.  They carry on our name.  God has adopted us into His family…

Adopted and loved...   just as we are!

Behold what manner of love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God. 1Jh. 3:1

God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"  Gl. 4:4-6 ESV

…you have received the Spirit of adoption by which we cry, Abba, Father! The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. Rm. 8:15,16

        So, what’s in a name?  Everything!  Who God is, His nature and function.  He adopted us and gave us His name, and we received it as a kind of contract between us and Him.  Now we are known by His name- all because of what Jesus Christ has done.  Now we carry His name into the world to show and tell them what a Mighty God we have: our Heavenly Father who bestows His name on us, His Holy Spirit and our Precious Savior Jesus Christ, who loved us and died for us that we might be saved and called the children of God.

There’s everything in His name!